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Old 03-08-2012, 06:20 AM
 
833 posts, read 2,513,280 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie Mae View Post
There are 2400 kids currently enrolled in Ravenscroft and Durham Academy. Thousands more in other private schools. There are many opportunities for financial aid for families that cannot afford full tuition. I don't see that my post is like comparing luxury sports cars
In your own words:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie Mae View Post
If I wanted prestige or status, the $60k per year we're spending on three kids could be used to purchase something outlandish that would scream status. or maybe it would would scream desperate, but for $60k I could buy something that would scream more loudly than tuition. I know families who put their kids in the "right" school as a status symbol, but I don't think that is the reason most families have their kids in private schools.
Was simply pointing out that $60k is right around what at least half of what the Wake County households make in gross salary per year. Didn't intend any disrespect, but offering a perspective of why your original inquiry received differing replies.

Consider that 2400 is 1.6% of the WCPSS enrollment.

Out of curiosity, what types of financial aid are granted? Is this simply a deferred payment (loan) or is it an offering of lower tuition?



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Old 03-08-2012, 06:41 AM
 
402 posts, read 588,212 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hamish Forbes View Post
OP -- some of the negative comments posted here may be coming from people who cannot afford to send their kids to private school, Furth OTOH, the public schools really are acceptably good in Wake County for the most part.
Hmmm I would say that someone living in an apartment also cannot afford to send their kids to private schools.

The friends I know who are sending their kids to Ravenscroft can actually afford it without scholarship assistance. Same for DA. Both schools have snooty vibes. I'm not sure how realistic it is for someone to expect otherwise from a school with that kind of pedigree.

I agree with those who have suggested excellent public schools in the area. I think people often forget that some areas have public schools that rival private schools in academic rigor. Raleigh is definitely such a place. I think there's some benefit to public schools. I also questions the motives of parents who sacrifice that much to send their kids to elementary, middle or high school. College I can understand.
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Old 03-08-2012, 06:42 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Francois View Post
Reasons for sending kids to private schools usually have more to do with "social issues" in the schools (safety, bullying, etc) than academics per se
Not to mention that other elephant in the room...
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Old 03-08-2012, 04:02 PM
 
2,991 posts, read 4,271,667 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deepimpact2 View Post
Both schools have snooty vibes. I'm not sure how realistic it is for someone to expect otherwise from a school with that kind of pedigree.
(response deleted by author -- but it was wickedly clever and cunning, so use your imagination!)

Last edited by Hamish Forbes; 03-08-2012 at 04:14 PM..
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Old 03-08-2012, 04:33 PM
 
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What is the other elephant in the room?

As for financial aid, check the website of the school that is of interest to you. It is fairly standard in private schools that most parents donate a minimum of $1000 per year on top of tuition to the schools annual fund. These funds are used for many things including financiual aid. At our previous school in the north we donated several thousand dollars each year specifically for financial aid.

It seems like many of the people who have commented on this thread have not been part of a private school or they would know this. I hope that shedding some light on the desire for economic diversity will make people think twice before lableing schools they may have never visited as snooty.
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Old 03-09-2012, 04:53 AM
 
2,991 posts, read 4,271,667 times
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^^ The "other elephant" may be an attempt to insinuate racism without taking responsibility for doing so. It's just the nature of a hand-wringing internet forum -- has nothing to do with real life! Just ignore it. . . . but don't forget your rather large "donation" to public education each year through property tax, even though your kids may be in private school at the time.

Last edited by Hamish Forbes; 03-09-2012 at 05:03 AM..
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Old 11-20-2012, 03:47 PM
 
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Willie Mae - What did you decide and are you happy with your decision?
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Old 12-29-2015, 03:43 AM
 
5 posts, read 16,608 times
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Default a few comments about Raleigh, NC area schools including Durham Academy and Ravenscroft

I came across this thread from 2012 in December of 2015. I would love to know where OP's children ended up. First, I want to say that my perspective is that I have lived in the Raleigh area since 1954; I briefly taught at St. David's; my children went to Ravenscroft; and I found both truth and misconceptions in many of the replies. My kids went to Ravenscroft after child number 1 started at Lacy and hated it. Lacy was fine academically but she felt left out. She has never had strong social skills and still does not today as a 30 year old. After listening to her cry daily after her kindergarten classes, I applied for financial aid and sent her to Ravenscroft to repeat Kindergarten. It was a great decision for her. Although she could read before starting Lacy, she had poor fine motor skills, did not know how to swing or jump rope; and couldn't cut with scissors. Ravenscroft worked with her on those issues as well as on her social skills.

My son followed along because although he has strong social skills, it was just as cheap to send him there as to send her there on financial aid. If they decide you can pay $1000 per year, they will still say you can only pay $1000 a year whether or not it is for one child or for two. In 4th grade he was diagnosed with LD, and Ravenscroft has a good understanding of LD, so it was great that he happened to be there.

I cannot comment on what it would be like to enter Ravenscroft as a new student since mine started in kindergarten and preschool respectively.

Both the public schools and all of the private schools mentioned (that I know of) are excellent schools. If you're a superior athlete, then public school is probably a better place for you to go as long as you realize you'll need to take AP or IB classes if you are aiming for a top tier college. If you are a decent athlete who might not get to play a lot in public school, then private school can be a great choice.

If you have LD private school is great because of the small classes and lack of commotion. I think for the top tier of students academically, either path works well. If you are not at the very top tier academically, then private school can help you get the attention you would not get in public school.

As a working professional and a single mom, it was very helpful for me to be able to pick the kids up at around 5 with their homework already done or partly done and with my LD son's week organized. Plus in the after school program they had access to teachers who could explain anything they missed in class.

I truly do not think one school situation is better than another. It depends on your child's learning style, EC's, and your own situation. I did not want to be part of the annual madness re: school reassignment; I didn't want to be picking kids up from two different schools; and at college application time, I wanted mine to benefit from the college counselors that Ravenscroft has (not that I was thinking about this at preschool time).

My daughter was a National Merit scholar accepted by her first choice of a top 5 liberal arts college; and my son went to a good college that was his first choice.

I remember all of the days of agonizing over this or that aspect of their lives and educations, and I can truly say the agonizing is not worth it. Try one thing (as we did with Lacy) and if that thing is not working for your child, try another.

Both of my children are successful adults. Both have thanked me many times over for Ravenscroft. But if they had gone to public school and taken AP or IB it would have been comparable academically. My personal experience as a teacher of kids from average and even Honors classes is that these are not nearly as rigorous as AP and IB and maybe the kids in these classes would be better off in private school.

I taught Honors at Leesville Road for a time and had a student ask me whether the Civil War or the American Revolution came first. Pretty sure the kids in AP knew the answer to this. Lots of grade inflation in Honors classes.

So to sum up, for top tier students, either path works. For elite athletes who want to parlay that into a top tier college, public school may be better, but I certainly saw a lot of athletes go to Ivy Leagues from private schools. If your child is very bright but not a genius (which is how I would classify both of mine); then they will not fall through the cracks in private school. Also Ravenscroft has a fine arts/music program, fyi.

That is all I can think of at the moment. Tomorrow your children will be adults and you will be old. Try not to stress out too much about these choices as a good outcome, I believe, as someone stated early on in this thread, is highly dependent on parental involvement. The public schools I know well are Broughton, Leesville Road, and Apex, and parental involvement is welcomed at all three, as it is at the private schools I know the most about, Ravenscroft and St. David's.

Final thoughts: I would seriously consider moving to Chapel Hill and sending OP's kids (as described by OP) to the excellent Chapel Hill public schools. No mention has been made of Enloe, but it's a fantastic school academically for top tier students. Also Raleigh Charter, absolutely stellar.

Middle school is where it all falls apart for many. Excellent elementary schools and excellent high schools, but as parents you need to really really be involved and watchful during the middle school years to see that your child is getting what s/he needs and not just coasting. Frankly in middle school you are setting up their college years so be sure they're being appropriately challenged.

I wish everyone well. For most people, no matter where they go, all will end well. Try to enjoy your kids while you have them; the endless carpool lines that you thought you would sit in forever will all too soon be in your rearview mirror and you'll wish you and they could be young again.
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Old 12-29-2015, 01:05 PM
 
53 posts, read 67,031 times
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Dear seiker0808,
That was such a well written and thoughtful response. Thank you for posting and have a Happy New Year!
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Old 12-29-2015, 01:30 PM
 
369 posts, read 458,194 times
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Thanks for the post seiker. My son will be entering kindergarten in the fall and we will find out in early Feb if he gets into Ravenscroft which is our first choice. I'm glad to hear your family had a great experience there. It really does seem like a fabulous school and a place where I can see my children thrive. We share similar reasons for choosing private over public.
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